The History of

puppets

• Puppets first began in China

•Shadow puppets were the first type of puppet used in China

•Exactly when the first puppet was made is unknown--but it could have been as long as 12,000 years ago!

•Puppets are made to Tell Stories

•Some of the earliest puppets were made like Tribal Masks for to tell the stories for ritual and religious ceremonies.

•Puppets evolved into Doll Like figures!

•Puppet Theater was created to tell a story with multiple puppet characters•Puppet theater has been mentioned around 400-300 BC in Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle's writings! That’s nearly 2,500 years ago!

•Puppet theaters took to the road like a traveling circus with other jugglers, entertainers and animal acts!

•One of the most important reasons for the PUPPET THEATER was TO spread morals, rules, and laws. In other words to TEACH!•Puppeteers still use this type of story telling for puppets today:

Think of Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood!

Different Kinds

Of Puppets

1. Body Puppets•Designed to be large scale

•Mostly used for Parades•Operated by arms •one for the head, •one for the arm

•The whole human body is inside the puppet

2. Shadow Puppets

•A cut out figure

•Two-dimensional

•Highly detailed

•A source of light is place on the puppet to create a solid puppet on a translucent back drop

•Color light can be used

3. Finger Puppets•Fits on one finger

•Simple in form

•Usually animated face

•Used to tell simple stories

•Cylinder shape

4. Hand Puppet•Hand inside the puppet

•Hand is used to control the mouth, eyelids, and arms

•A sock puppet is the simplest form of a hand puppet

5. MarionetteOr String Puppet

•Invented by the Turkish people•Uses strings and a rod to control the puppet•Used mostly for Puppet Theater•Very sophisticated puppet! Arms, hands,

legs, head, feet are controlled all at the same time!

6. Ventriloquist•The puppet is controlled by ventriloquists hand

•The ventriloquists speaks for and to the puppet

•Usually used for humorous acts

•The eyes and hands make the puppet animated (look real)

Jim Henson and the Muppets

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

Famous Puppets